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Michael: prophecy is nearly always couched in terms that cannot be falsified. Obviously. And it's pretty darned clear that some of the NT writers were desparate to demonstrate JC to be fulfilling certain OT prophecies. On those few occasions when prophecy is not so termed - and has actual dates and specifics, (ie it is falsifiable) it always turns out to be BS. I'd point to the recent end times insanity in the US here.

The benefit to the writer is that he gains credibility and power (and potentially cash thereby) from the poor saps he persuades to believe it: again well demonstrated thoughout history. You don't ever have to be right - just credible and persuasive.

False prophets aren't killed because their prophecies are false (they all are, after all) but because politically someone with more power didn't like the message.

Here's a question for you: how do you decide what is true and what is not true? What's your method?

I use history, the Cambridge Ancient History Volumes in my research and also volumes on the Papacy, Medieval history, the changing maps of Europe and current events in my research of the last 2000 years of fulfiled prophecies. Once again there is a nutshell on my blog.

Use what you like Michael: you suffer from confirmation bias like the rest of us. I grew up in a house full of prophecy fulfillment freakery and I recognise it quickly every time I see it.

How do you know you are right and not others? You rely on your study? But very clever people disagree with you: aren't you worried that you might be wrong? (This was a killer argument for me personally: much cleverer people than me all disagreed, so relying on my intellect to work out which of the competing non-evidence based claims was right was always going to be virtually impossible if approached with integrity).

So aren't you worried that actually it might really matter which god you devote yourswelf to, and what his/her characterristics are like, whether he/she wants sacrifices or not, wants priests dressed in pruple robes (I'm sure you'll like that if you have a of symbollism) etc. If you rely on your head, and the selected thinking of others, how do you know you are right?

And what is the mechanism for people knowing what will happen in the future, given your fondness for prophecy? How does that actually work? Is there a mystical being knows what will happen? If so doesn't that cause some problems in terms of whether such a being could possibly be described as good?

Explain how can you serve god without "hypocrisy" according to your believes? If you are claiming that those who serve him without "hypocrisy" will get something out of it (health and prosperity), then Im sorry to burst your bubble, but you are doing it expecting something back, you are doing it to ultimately be rewarded, not because you even "LOVE" your god.

Your servitude to god has a price, the price is that he MUST pay your selfcentered efforts to please him. Who do you think you are that a narcissistic god , as described in the bible, need to reward you for doing what he created you to do, you were created to PRAISE him.

If you are going to believe in the bible at least believe in the whole concept, not in cherry picked sections that only seduce greedy individuals.